1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a solid ion conductor, a solid electrolyte including the solid ion conductor, a lithium battery including the solid electrolyte, and methods of manufacturing thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Lithium batteries have high voltage and high energy density, and are used in various applications. Some applications have demanding specifications. In electric vehicles, for example, hybrid electric vehicles (“HEV”s) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (“PHEV”s), operation at high temperatures, charge and discharge of a large amount of electricity, and a long period of use are specified.
When an electrode to which a high voltage (e.g., 5 V or more) is applied is used in a lithium battery including a liquid electrolyte, which may be prepared by dissolving a lithium salt in an organic solvent, the lithium battery is chemically unstable. In addition, the liquid electrolyte starts to decompose at a voltage of 2.5 V or more. The liquid electrolyte also has a high risk of leakage, fire, and explosion. Further, the liquid electrolyte can support the growth of a dendrite, which can cause self-discharging and heating of a lithium battery.
As an example of batteries having a higher stability than that of lithium batteries including the liquid electrolyte, all-solid-state lithium batteries including a lithium ion conductor as a solid electrolyte can be considered. The lithium ion conductor constituting the solid electrolyte is a single ion conductor in which only Li ions migrate, and thus, it has less risk of ignition when compared to lithium batteries including a liquid electrolyte. Therefore, all-solid-state lithium batteries are desirable for use in electric vehicles, large-scale storage batteries, and the like.
The solid ion conductor desirably has high lithium ionic conductivity, is chemically stable, and has a wide potential window, to provide suitable properties for use as a solid electrolyte for a lithium battery.
Therefore, there is still a need to develop a solid ion conductor having an improved lithium ionic conductivity.